Epimedium grandiflorum
Encyclopedia
Epimedium grandiflorum is a species of flowering plant
in the barberry
family, Berberidaceae
, that is native to China
, Japan
, and Korea
. It may have aphrodisiac
characteristics due to the presence of icariin
and is believed to cause increased sexual activity in goat
s. It commonly is packed in a capsule with some other ingredients or sold as an herb. It is generally packaged with the name "Horny Goat Weed." This plant has bright red stems with green heart shaped leaves which are slightly hairy on the bottom. They grow to a maximum of 6 to 9 in (15.2 to 22.9 cm) and in the spring produce light purple colored flowers.
It is known as dâm dương hoắc in Vietnamese.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the barberry
Berberis
Berberis , the barberries or pepperidge bushes, is a genus of about 450-500 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs from 1-5 m tall with thorny shoots, native to the temperate and subtropical regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America. They are closely related to the genus...
family, Berberidaceae
Berberidaceae
Berberidaceae are a family of 15 genera flowering plants commonly called the barberry family. This family is in the order Ranunculales. The family contains about 570 species, of which the majority are in Berberis...
, that is native to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. It may have aphrodisiac
Aphrodisiac
An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire. The name comes from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sexuality and love. Throughout history, many foods, drinks, and behaviors have had a reputation for making sex more attainable and/or pleasurable...
characteristics due to the presence of icariin
Icariin
Icariin is a flavonol, a type of flavonoid. It is the prenyl acetylation of kaempferide 3,7-O-diglucoside. The compound is derived from several species of plants in the Epimedium family, which are commonly known as Horny Goat Weed or Yin Yang Huo...
and is believed to cause increased sexual activity in goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s. It commonly is packed in a capsule with some other ingredients or sold as an herb. It is generally packaged with the name "Horny Goat Weed." This plant has bright red stems with green heart shaped leaves which are slightly hairy on the bottom. They grow to a maximum of 6 to 9 in (15.2 to 22.9 cm) and in the spring produce light purple colored flowers.
It is known as dâm dương hoắc in Vietnamese.